The most common type of magazine utilized by modern handguns, rifles, and other firearms is the box magazine. Internal box magazines are integrated into firearms for loading with cartridges. Detachable box magazines, as their name suggests, are loaded with cartridges and attached to firearms. The magazines are then removed when empty. Box magazines are generally loaded with cartridges in two distinct configurations. Single column type magazines hold cartridges one above the other in a single stack. Double column or double stack type magazines hold cartridges in a staggered zigzag stack. Although box magazines allow users to fire multiple shots without reloading, the loading process for the box magazines is time-consuming if individual cartridges are loaded one at a time into the magazines. High spring pressure forcing loaded cartridges to the top of a magazine is problematic as well. Stripper clips are employed in order to speed load cartridges into a box magazine, often five or ten at a time. In general, stripper clips are thin rail brackets that are designed to hold a number of cartridges and are inserted into a firearm magazine. During use, a stripper clip is inserted into a slot in the magazine and pressure is manually applied to the cartridges from above. The applied pressure causes the cartridges to slide down the rail of the stripper clip and into the magazine. In order to facilitate loading, stripper clips are used in conjunction with guide tools that decrease the amount of pressure required to insert sequential cartridges into the magazine. The present invention seeks to enhance and improve upon currently existing stripper clips used for speed loading.
The present invention is a stripper clip that is used to facilitate the rapid loading of cartridges into a firearm box magazine. In its preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises an inner strip and an outer strip. The outer strip forms a rail into which the inner strip is inserted and wedged in place. The outer strip is sized to accommodate the rim of a cartridge. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stripper clip is designed and sized for use with 5.56×45 mm NATO rifle cartridges and Draft Standardization Agreement (STANAG) magazines. The inner strip features two extruded tabs present at both the first and second ends of the stripper clip. The tabs aid in preventing cartridges from slipping out of the rail of the stripper clip.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stripper clip is capable of holding one to fifteen 5.56×45 mm NATO rifle cartridges. Prior to use, the user slots cartridges into the rail of the outer clip. The rail of the outer clip holds the cartridges in place and allows the cartridges to move along the length of the stripper clip. After the cartridges are in place, a guide tool is slotted onto a STANAG magazine. The stripper clip is slotted into the rail of the guide tool and is positioned in a manner such that the cartridges may be loaded correctly into the magazine. The user applies pressure to the cartridges in a downward direction which in turn slides the cartridges along the rail of the stripper clip and into the magazine. After the final cartridge has been loaded, the stripper clip and guide tool are removed from the magazine. The two lengthy parallel edges of the outer strip each feature two raised bumps. Each bump is spaced equally from both the first end and the second end of the outer strip. The bumps limit the depth to which the stripper clip may insert into the guide tool.